Nehemiah 4:11-20 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”
The lives of the Jews who were rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem were at risk. There were some from the region who were jealous that the walls were being rebuild. They saw that as a sign of arrogance and affront to themselves who had been living in the area and hadn’t bothered to try to fix anything. They hadn’t valued Jerusalem, so perhaps there was either a sense of guilt or a sense of fear that now they’d have powerful neighbors that might overcome them. Either way, they threatened to kill those who were working on the wall.
In response, Nehemiah stationed people along the wall to watch for attack. And those that worked on the wall always had their weapons and armor nearby in case they needed it. When they were walking from one place to another, they took both their tools for rebuilding the wall and their weapons, just in case something happened while they were hauling things. They did all that they could physically to be ready if an attack came. But they never veered from focusing on their chief objective — the repair of the wall.
And yet, Nehemiah’s message to the people wasn’t, “be ready and if the enemy comes, we’ll defeat them. We have the power!” No, it was “be ready and if the enemy comes, God will fight for us.” They had to trust that no matter what happened, God would make things right. They had to trust fully in God. But they also had to do their part so that if the time came, and God would fight for them, they would be ready to be his instruments.
I’m getting ready to go on a trip overseas. I have to have a negative Covid PCR taken from within 72 hours of my trip. But because I am to travel on a Wednesday, and the testing place is closed on Sundays, I actually have less than 72 hours. And the last time a family member had to get tested locally, it took 5 days to get the results back. So there’s no guarantee at all that the test will be turned around in time. I can only trust that if God wants me to go, things will work out so I can go. But if they don’t, they don’t. Either way it’s God who clears the way or God who blocks it. So I need to have suitcases packed and ready on Wednesday in case God’s answer is “Go.” I can’t just assume that if he wants me to go, he’ll pack the suitcases for me. I have to do my part, so that I’m ready to be his instrument if he chooses to use me.
All of this to say that we, as God’s people, need to find ways to be prepared so that if God wants to use us, we’re ready. That might mean making relationships with local officials. It might mean joining a board or commission, or helping out in the public schools, or watching YouTube videos about urban design to better understand how our community physically works. Nothing may come of it. Or it might mean we’re in the right place at the right time to be God’s instrument in a given situation. If you’re feeling led to learn more, or get more involved in an area, do so. Humble yourself to realize that you probably don’t know squat and you’ll need to learn from those around you. But as you grow and learn more about that given situation or area you’ve prepared yourself for, you’ll be better attuned to when God might want to use you to act. And then know that it is God who will work through you and not you yourself. You are simply the instrument in his hands.